Despite the lowering of the water level in a canal in a ravine west of Brooks, crews have yet to locate a 25-year-old Calgary man following a Friday evening crash along the Trans-Canada Highway.
RCMP received reports of a single vehicle crash at roughly 6 p.m. on July 5. Crews responded to a location on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of the City of Brooks, and followed a set of tracks through an open field for several kilometres to a ravine.
"A vehicle was submerged in a ravine about 20 kilometres west of Brooks detachment," said Cpl. Richelle Daly of the Brooks RCMP. "We arrived on scene and no persons were located in or around the vehicle. Police dog service were deployed immediately and a search began at that point to locate persons."
Investigators say the rear window of the pickup truck had been smashed and it's likely the occupant of the truck may have escaped from the wreckage under his own power.
The driver of the truck, identified by RCMP as 25-year-old Joseph Given of Calgary, has not been located in the days following the collision. RCMP say Given was travelling east on the Trans-Canada Highway at the time of the incident but they have not confirmed the purpose of his trip, his destination or what led up to the crash.
"It's unknown at this time what the aggravating circumstances were to this collision," said Daly. "We haven't located any persons involved in it. We're still investigating and exploring all possibilities involved in this collision."
Undated image of Joseph Given, 25, who remains missing following a July 5 crash west of Brooks (supplied)
Searches of the ravine conducted by HALO helicopters, RCMP members, RCMP police dog services, search-and-rescue crews, and firefighters have been unfruitful.
"The Eastern Irrigation District has been assisting us with the search," explained Daly. "They lowered the water levels in the ravine in order for us to conduct a more thorough search for the last couple days. They now have to increase the water levels back into the ravine so that's going to happen now until tomorrow (Tuesday)."
RCMP hope the rising water level will expose additional evidence ahead of Tuesday's scheduled search by members of the Brooks Fire Department. "If there's anything, any objects or anything from the collision that were in the vehicle, it may bring them to service."
Anyone having information regarding Given's whereabouts is asked to contact the Brooks RCMP detachment at 403-794-4400 or anonymous tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers.
With files from CTV Lethbridge's Tyler Barrow
Vehicle tracks in a field outside Brooks following a July 5 crash that ended with a pickup truck in a ravine
